The Browns may be without their starting quarterback, but they did get something going on offense late in the first half.
Running back Nick Chubb powered his way in for a 1-yard touchdown with 56 seconds left in the second quarter. But Dustin Hopkins missed the extra point to keep the score at 7-6, Cincinnati, at halftime.
Chubb got in just after Watson went down with a non-contact injury to his right leg. Watson was carted off the field.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson entered the game at quarterback and a defensive pass interference penalty put Cleveland at the 1-yard line. It took a few plays, but Chubb was able to get in the end zone on a toss play to the left.
Chubb has taken 10 carries but gained just 20 yards. He’s also caught a 10-yard pass.
Watson was 15-of-17 for 128 yards before exiting the game.
Hopkins also missed a 49-yard field goal wide left in the first quarter.
Cleveland’s special teams has struggled throughout the contest, as the Bengals took the opening kickoff 100 yards to the end zone, but otherwise have not been able to do much offensively. The club has just five first downs and is 0-of-6 on third down.
Joe Burrow is 8-of-15 for 81 yards. Tee Higgins leads with 38 yards on two catches while Ja’Marr Chase has three catches for 28 yards.
The Browns will receive the second-half kickoff.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson appeared to have suffered a major right leg injury late in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Bengals.
On second-and-6 from the Cincinnati 21, Watson started to move on a designed run to the right but almost immediately went down with an apparent right leg injury. Replay showed Watson’s calf twitch as he tried to take a step, which can be an indicator of an Achilles injury. There was no contact on the play.
Watson was carted off the field.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson came in to replace Watson. It’s Thompson-Robinson’s first game as a backup this season, with Jameis Winston as the emergency third QB.
The Browns finished the drive with Nick Chubb powering his way in for a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. But Dustin Hopkins — who missed a field goal earlier — missed the extra point to keep the score at 7-6, Cincinnati.
Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder.
After a four-week absence from Cleveland, the Browns returned today for a home game against the Bengals. The introduction of quarterback Deshaun Watson did not go well.
Watson was loudly booed by the home crowd. Which is no surprise. The Browns are struggling, Watson is the worst current starting quarterback in the NFL, and the Browns refuse to bench him, given his ball-and-chain contract.
With three straight home games, it might not get any better. And maybe the Browns should consider introducing the defense the next two weeks.
And for as long as Watson continues to be a member of the starting offense.
Joe Burrow has not won in Cleveland.
The Bengals are doing their best early to change that.
Charlie Jones returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead.
Jones got past midfield before he was touched. The Browns had a chance to knock him out of bound just before he reached the end zone but Jones was able to walk the tightrope along the sideline before diving past the pylon for the score.
It was Cincinnati’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2020.
The Browns have made a change at quarterback, but it’s not the one many people have been calling for them to make.
Jameis Winston is on the inactive list as the emergency quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Bengals. It is the first time that Winston has been inactive this season and the first time that Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been active as the backup to Deshaun Watson.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has been asked on a weekly basis whether he will make a quarterback change and he’s been steadfast in saying Watson will remain the starter. Winston’s experience as a starter made him seem like a reasonable option to get a shot in place of the struggling starter, but that won’t be a possibility this Sunday.
Stefanski will get a chance to explain the change in pecking order after the game and another loss will likely lead to questions about moving Thompson-Robinson even higher up the depth chart.
